Zipping across Chiswick
Daredevil office workers at Chiswick Park’s 8,000-strong business community took part in a zip-wire ride to demonstrate the park’s Enjoy Work ethos. It is one of a programme of events planned for the summer. These will include beach volleyball and sand sculpting, for which sand will be trucked in next week to transform the park into a beach.
British Land backs book initiative
British Land is continuing its quest to improve literacy by supporting the Young Readers Programme.
It is backing the National Literacy Trust initiative for the fourth year, committing £500,000 and providing space in its shopping centres and retail parks for children to take part in reading activities.
Each child that participates in the programme is shown how to choose books at the right level and of interest to them, then encouraged to use their new skills to select three new books to keep.
British Land is supporting the programme as part of its 2020 Sustainability Strategy and on the premise that a love of reading and literacy skills can have a positive lifelong impact on children’s health, confidence, employability and happiness.
LandSec rocks out at Battle of the Bands
Land Securities is harbouring some fine musical talent, as evidenced at Nabarro’s Battle of the Bands.
In the fifth year of the event held on 9 July, bands made up of members of the real estate industry strummed, sang and drummed it out for audience votes at London’s 100 Club on Oxford Street, W1.
The winner was Cabin Fever, a LandSec band made up of Caroline Taylor, Peter Mail, Kiran Pawar, Eduardo Martins, Nicola Collins and Jeremy Cox.
Auction with bite at RPAS lunch
Dining experiences at some of the UK’s top eateries, including Hawksmoor and Tuttons Brasserie, were auctioned at the Restaurant Property Advisors Society summer lunch, raising more than £3,000 for charity. The event was held at 34 Restaurant in Mayfair on 25 June, with funds going to Angel Our House, which supports vulnerable ex-offenders.
Softball day a Bath scorcher
Accountancy firm Mander Duffill was the winner of the Carter Jonas annual softball competition, clinching victory over law firm Withy King on the hottest July day on record. Teams from Carter Jonas, Handelsbanken and Goughs also battled the heat to raise more than £700 for the Jessie May Trust. The contest took place at the University of Bath’s playing fields on 1 July.
Office group backs triathlon
Ventia is celebrating its successful sponsorship of the first Croyde Ocean Triathlon and Beach Breaker events in North Devon.
The virtual office provider fielded its own staff in the 1.5km open water swim/40km cycle/12km run event, which could be completed individually or as a team. Chief executive Steve Baker was among more than 200 competitors taking part.
Ventia also hosted a post-triathlon party at the Old Cream Shop in Croyde on 11 July, before the next day’s Beach Breaker event, where mountain and fatbikers mastered a 24km trail of dunes.
The events raised £10,000 for the charities Surfers Against Sewage, Surfers Not Street Children, Croyde Surf Life Saving Club and Children’s Hospice South West.
Persimmon scales the heights
Persimmon Homes has strengthened its ties with the armed forces by scaling three of Wales’s highest mountains in a gruelling fundraising challenge.
A team from the house builder’s East Wales division climbed the peaks to raise money for the charity Alabaré, which supports troubled returned servicemen.
The firm already employs more than 100 ex-military personnel.
The climbers had a red-eye start at 3.15am, and reached the top of Snowdon before taking on Cadair Idris and Pen y Fan, returning for a well-earned rest by 6.30pm.
Sarah Foulkes, who co-ordinated the expedition, said: “Cadair Idris seemed to go on for ever. On the way down, it was like walking on glass.”
The climbers were Martin Smith, Andy Baker Edwards, Claire Groom, Owen Gent, Daryl Jones, Sam Cowburn, Tom Graham, Aileen Grant and Ellisha Hughes.
They raised £1,500.
Alps trek is a family affair
Patron Capital managing director Keith Breslauer has embarked on a lung-busting, thigh-burning charity trek in the Alps this week.
Breslauer is accompanied by his 14-year-old daughter Samantha on the five-day trek to the summit of the 13,166ft Dent du Géant, in the Mont Blanc massif in France.
The pair have also raised nearly £20,000 for disaster relief in Nepal and the Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Donate at www.justgiving.com/Samantha-Breslauer1.
